Patience

Dear sisters and brothers in Christ,

I pray that you are blessed and staying safe and healthy. As our current situation continues, I am sure many of you are feeling what we used to call “tunnel month fever.” It makes me very nervous when people let their desire to return to “normal” override their need to listen to the experts and maintain our social distancing. Some people go so far as to just deny the very existence of the virus, or to think these precautions are not necessary. But all one really need do is to look at the number of people who have died, the number of people who are grieving the loss of a grandparent, a mother, a father, a spouse, even a child. Yes some had other health issues, but some were perfectly healthy. Some were even athletes. And so, my prayer is for us to remain patient and trust that our Lord is still with us.

Now that Easter is behind us, we are talking about possible things we can do online or even with ZOOM. Fr. Chung has begun a bible study with a small group of young adults. I want to talk with the staff about the possibility of doing some aspect of our Vacation Bible School online. The Redemptorists are continuing to bring you various materials that we are posting online to our various sites. I would like to ask the parents if you have any ideas on how we can help you? I don’t know how long the teachers of the public and private schools plan on presenting material, but if we can fill in a gap please let us know.

Our pantry has received a lot of support and I want to let all of you know that if you find yourself in need of any food items (we also had some cleaning supplies, I am not sure of their status), please do not hesitate to contact us.

I ask you to join me in prayer, as we pray for all of those who are ill, and those who have lost loved ones. Let us pray for all of the health-care workers, those who are in the service industry, who continue to work to serve our needs. This pandemic has truly shown us just how much we do rely on one another, and I hope, how much we should be thankful for those who serve us in big and small ways each and every day. I hope you continue to join us as we gather for mass each day. Finally, let us pray for patience as we wait for that vaccine.

In the Redeemer, Fr. Rick